If a tenant is in rent arrears they are in breach of their tenancy agreement and it may be possible to end the tenancy agreement early. However, you will need to issue notice to quit exploring how many weeks/months their rent payments are in arrears.

Depending on the extent of the repair work to the property the tenant can be asked by the landlord to move to alternative accommodation. If the tenant refuses to leave the property, then the landlord can force them to leave the accommodation by evicting them, or seeking a court order.